Food & Drink

Blind Pig Set to Close in November

A sad, sad "for lease" sign hangs above the door, and the neighborhood weeps.

By Chelsea Lin September 19, 2016

blind-pig-photo

[addtoany]

Blind Pig Bistro—the acclaimed Eastlake eatery where diners are encouraged to order the whole daily-changing menu, prix fixe-style, for the table—is celebrating its fifth birthday in November. But rather than blowing out some candles and cutting the cake, owners Charles Walpole and Rene Gutierrez are closing Blind Pig’s doors for good.

A little backstory: Chef Walpole has been the creative culinary force in the kitchen, earning applause from critics and loyal neighborhood regulars alike. He and Gutierrez met more than a dozen years ago when both worked at Mistral Kitchen. They opened Blind Pig together in 2011, taking over a tiny spot in an unattractive strip mall with a storied past—it housed the original Sitka & Spruce, and then Nettletown.

Now, Walpole and Gutierrez have decided not to renew their lease. Gutierrez told me that they’re in the process of looking for another space and neighborhood that will be able to better support Blind Pig’s tasting menu concept. (Please guys, somewhere other than Capitol Hill or Ballard or South Lake Union.) If you, like me, immediately worried that Babirusa, the duo’s bar next door, was next on the chopping block, fear not: Gutierrez assures me that Babirusa is “still fighting the delicious fight.” The two spaces are under separate lease, and the owners have no plans to shutter the bar.

Blind Pig’s last dinner service will be Nov. 12. (They’ve got a few special events, like their final Beastlake dinner—an all-you-can-eat goat and Caribbean flavors meal—on Oct. 24.) Babirusa will continue business as usual, serving drinks and dinner daily from 4 p.m. to midnight.  

Follow Us

Seattle’s Cool Confections

Seattle’s Cool Confections

Three cold treats to savor this summer

When the sun brings all the vitamin D, it’s time to seek out vitamin I: ice cream, shave ice, soft serve, or anything else cold, portable, and tasty. These are our current favorites in town. 

The Sandwich Goes Gourmet

The Sandwich Goes Gourmet

Seattle is experiencing a sandwich renaissance

Seattle doesn’t have one reigning sandwich, but that hasn’t ruled out sandwich shops from taking root and becoming key players in our food scene...

We Need to Talk About Tivoli

We Need to Talk About Tivoli

How is there not a line out the door?

Each time I return, for the mortadella sandwich with whipped ricotta and “pistachio jazz” at lunch or the black garlic knots at dinner, I marvel that the massive crowds of Seattle dining scenesters have yet to find it.

Fried Chicken Frenzy

Fried Chicken Frenzy

Jollibee opens first Seattle location in Mount Baker   

Jollibee, the largest Filipino fast-food chain, is opening at Rainier Valley Square in Mount Baker June 7. Known for its crispy Chickenjoy fried chicken, chicken sandwiches, and the iconic peach mango pie, Jollibee has amassed a cult following worldwide.